


First Love 101

by FandomLastsForever



Series: Alsius of My Youth [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: College AU, Flashbacks, Happily Ever After, Multi, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, everyone is a giant nerd, nerds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-14 19:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9198824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomLastsForever/pseuds/FandomLastsForever
Summary: James and Qrow are moving into their new home in Patch. As they are unpacking, the kids come across some very interesting things in the boxes.After a brief moment of asking, James and Qrow sit down with everyone and recount some of their college memories from freshman year of Alsius Tech.Sequel/Prequel to "Same Auld Lang Syne" and "Cold December Nights".





	1. Unpacking the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids find a box of costume parts, and ask for the story behind them. James, Qrow, and the other adults gather around to tell them.

It had been almost a year. A year since the events at Beacon Lodge, when James and Qrow had, by some miracle, reconnected. A year since Raven had finally returned to be with her family for good. A year since Glynda had begun working for Ozpin, since Roman and Junior's engagement.

And now, there they all were. Everyone taking turns carrying a box. With a little help from Roman, James had found the perfect house in the suburbs of downtown Vale, a little neighborhood called Patch. It was a quaint little home, with lots of yard space, five bedrooms, two baths, and was within walking distance of both the school and his soon to be in-laws' house. The kitchen was massive, which Penny had been very happy about. To her, it meant more room to bake cookies.

 _It's nice,_ James thought. _Just the kind of place we should be living in._

"Last box!" Qrow called from the front door. "Can I get a hand? It's heavy!"

"Hold on!" James came scurrying from the kitchen to help, taking half of the weight in his hands as the two of them maneuvered through to the living room and set it down.

"Alright," Qrow sighed. "Time for lunch. Then we unpack."

 _"Finally!"_ whined Roman from another room. "I'm starving!"

"What's for lunch?" Penny asked. She stared at her parents in eager anticipation.

"How about we just order delivery?" James suggested. "We haven't gotten a chance to go to the store yet, so we can't exactly cook."

"Pizza?" Penny suggested.

"Pizza sounds good," Qrow said. He gave Penny a pat on the head. "Good thinking kiddo."

"I'll take care of it!" Glynda called from the kitchen. "Just need to know what toppings!"

"I'll help!" Raven was scurrying down the stairs, dead set on making sure they ordered enough.

"And while we wait," James said. "we can start opening a few of the boxes."

"I think the kids beat you to it Jim," Qrow laughed.

James turned around, only to see Ruby and Yang tearing open a box that said "Costume Parts". Penny had reached in and grabbed a long black cape that clashed with her perky pink bow. Ruby handed her a slim white mask and Yang found a wand, a long pink one with a yellow crescent moon on the end.

"I am the Phantom of the Opera!" Penny proclaimed, holding the wand up high in the air. "All shall bow before me!"

"Not quite honey," James chuckled warmly. "The Phantom had a mask that covered half his face. This mask only covers the eyes."

"Wait," Qrow said as he took a closer look. "This isn't...You kept these?!"

"Oh...um..."

"What are they?" Yang asked.

"Some old cosplay from college," Qrow explained. "It's where your Uncle Jimmy and I met."

"I thought you met at Beacon," Ruby stated, a puzzled look on her face.

"No, it's where we reunited," James said. "We actually met back in school."

"I still remember that night," Qrow sighed. "It was probably the best convention I've ever been to."

"What convention?"

Taiyang walked into the room with Junior, red-faced from carrying the beds upstairs, a nostalgic twinkle lighting up his sky-blue gaze as he saw the kids.

"It's the old cosplay box," Qrow said.

"Isn't that-?" Taiyang began to ask, only to see Yang pull out a large red hat. " _No way!_ These are from "Nerd Con" back at school!" He looked over at James, smiling wide. "You kept these?"

"Well," James shrugged, "you _did_ kind of leave them in my dorm room."

"I sense a story~!" Ruby cheered. "Story, story, story!"

"Yeah!" cried Penny.

"Story!" Yang chanted. Soon all three of them were chanting **_"Story! Story! Story!"_** , and the Xiong-Torchwick children came running in hearing the battle cry.

"We heard story!" Melanie cried.

"We wanna hear it!" Miltia declared.

 _"Tell us!"_ Neo signed.

"Okay, okay!" Qrow wheezed. "Everyone on the couch, and we'll tell the story of how we met." His red eyes flicked around the room. "Summer! Where are you? Story time!"

"Coming!" Summer replied.

"Are you sure about this?" James asked. "You're okay with telling them?"

"Why not?" Qrow huffed. "Every kid wants to know how their parents meet. Yang and Ruby know how theirs did, it's only fair Penny knows how her daddies met."

James nodded in agreement and sat himself down on the sofa, soon covered in a barrage of kids. Soon the rest of the adults were seated in various places around the living room, all eyes trained on him and Qrow.

"Well...Where should we start?" James asked.

"Well, there's one place we gotta start," Qrow stated. "And that's how we decided on the costumes for the con."

"You mean when we made you wear the princess cosplay?" Summer asked.

"Not just any princess," Glynda said. "Princess Serenity from-"

"Wait, how do _you_ know that?!" Qrow asked, his face flushed. "You weren't there!"

"Raven told me."

 _"_ Oops," Raven laughed. "Forgot I told that story."

"No spoilers!" Roman growled. "I haven't heard it yet and I wanna hear it from these two!"

 _"Dad, behave,_ " signed Neo.

"Alright," James said. "Well...It all started back in December, just before the freshman term actually started..."


	2. Pros and Cons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Year's Eve before Freshman year, and the fateful encounter that set everything in motion.

_**DECEMBER 28th, 10:32am** _

 

 _How did I let them talk me into this?_ he thought to himself.

"Alright, on three. Ready?"

They knew he sucked at this game.

"Ready."

They only did this so they could get the good cosplay.

"On three."

 _Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot._ Two rocks, two paper. Qrow and Summer were out.

"Dammit," Qrow hissed.

"Again," said Taiyang. "On three."

 _Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot._ Rock beat scissors.

"Hah!" Raven bragged. "I get to be Alucard!"

"Lucky shot," mumbled Qrow.

"Oh come on Qrow," Taiyang said. "It's just a game."

"A game you know I suck at!" This was the same story every time. A convention would come up, and Summer would be making their costumes. But if a con came along and they only had a three day window, they had no time to decide on a group number, so they'd have to revert back to the old costumes they had. This time, they didn't have many to pick from. Many they had to sell to pay for books. Some of them they had severally grown out of since hitting the gym. It was hard to fit into old outfits when you've gone buff like they all did.

That is, all of them except for Qrow. He was still only a human Capellini. A walking pool noodle just under five feet, with a piercing crimson gaze. A gangly teen who, by the end of the game, was stuck with having to wear the Princess Serenity cosplay, while his older sister was Alucard, and Summer and Tai got to be Utena and Spike Spiegel respectively. He pulled tightly at his overgrown black hair, longing for the days when college didn't make them have to downsize.

"Don't we have anything else?" Qrow begged. "Anything at all?"

"The only other outfit we have," Summer replied sadly, "is the Lum cosplay from "Aqua Con" in Vacuo."

"God, no!" Qrow groaned. "Fine! I'll wear the Serenity dress!"

"We'll need to tailor it to fit you," Raven said. "Especially since it has my waistline."

"Before we do that," Taiyang interjected, "Qrow needs a haircut. That mane of his won't fit into the wig. Plus, new school year, new hairdo."

"No!" Qrow yelled, pulling the hood on his sweatshirt up protectively. "You ain't touching my hair, Tai-Tai! Not after last time!"

"The Mohawk was an accident! You kept squirming!"

"Because you went right for the electric shaver!"

"Qrow, he won't be cutting your hair," Summer soothed. "You do need it though, sweetie. Come on, let's make it a "Me Day Out." My treat."

And like that, Qrow was hooked in. He hated getting the short end of the stick in whatever scheme Taiyang had concocted. That party animal needed to be put on a leash. Luckily, that leash was called "Summer Rose", and if Qrow ever got lucky, he'd hoped to find someone as cool as her to have as a significant other. She always treated him kindly, much to Raven and Taiyang's chagrin at times, since Summer and Qrow got to spend time together in a way they knew those two really hated.

" _Your treat?_ " asked Qrow.

"Yep."

"Then me, you, and a trip to the Mantle Historical District for lunch!"

"Deal!"

 ** _"Eeew,"_** Raven gagged. "History? Seriously?"

"Seriously!" Qrow and Summer cheered.

"Come on Rae," Taiyang said. "You and me can go to see that new movie. What was it called again?"

"That new Spruce Willis flick?" Raven asked. "Three Times Until Dawn?"

"That's the one!"

"Alright, I'm game," she sighed.

"Great!" Summer said. "You two will go see the movie, and Qrow and I will go get lunch and get him a haircut."

"But not at a barber shop," Qrow muttered. "Barber shops smell funny."

"I know just the place," Summer assured him. "It'll be great, Qrow, trust me. It's like they're washing all your troubles away."

"Now see," Qrow said, "by saying that, you're setting a very high standard. This is going to have to impress big time."

"Trust me, you'll love it."

And with one last group hug, the pairs split off, preparing for the party ahead.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**_ December 30th, 2:44pm. _ **

 

"Tukson, please. _WHY?"_

James stood perfectly still, eyes closed as he was poked and prodded. Getting a costume tailored to his size was always a problem, and he was lucky his cousin was willing to help him get something together on such short notice. But this was just too much.

"Oh calm down, James," Tukson ordered kindly. "It's only for one night. Alsius has never held a convention like this before, and since you'll be attending this spring, you should get to know the other students!"

"I know, but-"

"You asked me to get you a cosplay for this. I thought you wanted to go."

"I do but," James stammered. _"But Tuxedo Mask?_ Really?"

"It's the only costume in the drama department that fits you. And we _still_ have to have it tailored."

"Story of my life," James groaned. He'd always been a bit bigger than other people. Growing up, he was really tall for his age, very thin, and a bit pale. Shopping for clothes that fit him and looked nice was a chore he dreaded every school year. It wasn't until he joined the rugby team in eighth grade that he started growing muscle, and by the time he graduated high school, it only made that errand ten times worse.

And finding clothes being difficult also meant finding costumes would be just as much of a challenge, if not more.

"Do I have to meet other students?" James asked, trying to distract from the gnawing feeling deep in his stomach. "I mean, surely there's other things that are more important-"

"Nothing is more important than connections," Tukson interrupted. "Blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, Jim. Connections help you grow. You need to make friends."

"Please don't call me Jim."

"Alright. Would you prefer Darien, Mamoru, or perhaps _Mamo-chan~?"_

 _"Tukson,"_ James warned.

 _"James,"_ he mimicked. He slipped something onto James' face and stepped away. "Alright, open your eyes."

Slowly, he opened them. Looking forward in the mirror, his blue eyes widened in wonder. The suit was crisp and styled perfectly. The cape reached to just above his ankles so he wouldn't trip. The hat actually made it onto his head and stayed in place. And with the mask, James looked almost exactly like the character.

"Tuk," James breathed. "This is perfect."

 _"Told you!"_ Tukson bragged. "You've got it going on, little cousin. I'm sure everyone will want to take photos of you."

"But they won't recognize me if I keep the mask on?"

"Not at all."

"Good," James sighed. As much as he loved "nerdy things", as his old friends used to call it, he always had to tone it down back home. Being here, he'd hoped to be able to embrace that side of himself. But he wanted to do it in baby steps.

So a Tuxedo Mask cosplay would have to do.

"By the way," James said. "What do you plan on wearing to the con?"

"I was thinking of going as something a bit more obscure. Like maybe Kurogane from Tsubasa Chronicle or something."

"Didn't realize Tsubasa was obscure," James chuckled as he changed out of the costume.

"Nowadays it is," Tukson sighed. "Pity really. A lot of great stories being forgotten and ignored for the "plot" of today."

"Great pity," James agreed. "So, I have to ask. Whose idea was it to hold a convention on New Year's Eve? Seems a little...I don't know, inconvenient, don't you think?"

"It was the only date available on the events calendar," Tukson explained. "But what does it matter? Come now, let's finish getting ready. We have a lot to do before tomorrow night's rave!"

"Rave? Tukson you said nothing about a rave!" James scrambled to finish redressing himself as Tukson ran off, cackling so strongly it'd put the Joker to shame.

 _Oh God,_ James thought. _I am not ready for this._

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

** _December 31st, 10:15pm_ **

 

The night was still young. The dance had only just started. And yet here he was. Standing at the sides watching the other cosplayers dancing and singing along to the bombastic bass coming from the DJ's selection. And while he would normally not mind, listening to a sixth play though of dubstep Tetris was a bit draining on James. Luckily, no one seemed to mind him watching.

Tukson had somehow managed to find himself a dance partner, a rather handsome looking man with perfectly coifed ginger locks hidden under his hat. He couldn't help but feel jealous.

 _I wish I had someone to dance with_ , James thought.

"Man, this DJ. What do you reckon?"

Turning his attention from the dancers, James looked to see someone had come to join him in exile. As if some ironic twist of fate, it was a fellow Sailor Moon cosplayer.

 _Princess Serenity?_ he thought. _Isn't that a coincidence?_

"Worst DJ of the night?" James suggested.

"Possibly of all time," groaned his new friend. James couldn't help blushing. Despite the similar appearance, this person had a fairly deep voice that was very different from their anime inspiration. It wasn't soft and high pitched like the character. It was a rough sound, yet a very lovely sound at that. And those eyes were so bright. Red like roses in a nighttime garden.

"Depends on the next song," James said. "If it sucks, we can turn around and leave."

"You can, I can't," sighed Serenity. "My ride back to the dorms is planning to stay until midnight." They pointed in the direction of a group of three people dancing. "My ride's the Alucard posse. I'm stuck here until they wanna go to bed."

"Same," James said. "My ride is over there dancing with the ginger guy."

"You mean the guy dressed as Kurogane?"

"Yep. That's my cousin."

"He drag you here?"

"No, I asked to come. He helped me with this costume."

"Nice. It looks good on you."

"You're not half bad yourself. I'd be surprised if men aren't over the moon for you."

The Serenity stared at him, a blush worming its way across their face.

"...Was...that a _pick-up pun?"_

"I...um...m-maybe?" he stammered. James could feel his ears burning. He didn't mean to flirt. It just sort of slipped out. He didn't even know he knew _how_ to flirt.

"Well, I'm flattered," Serenity mumbled. "So...if the next song is a good one, would you...um-?"

"Want to dance?" James finished.

"Yeah."

"I'd love to."

Soon the Tetris theme faded away. The room went quiet for just a moment.

And then the synthesized beat of a dance party classic came to cut through the silence.

"Daft Punk!" Serenity gasped excitedly. "Come on, we have to dance to this!"

"O-okay- Woah!" James was grabbed by the hand and dragged towards the center of the dance floor. This person was a lot shorter, and lankier, than he was. But they had quite the tugging power.

**_"ONE MORE TIME!"_ **

He didn't know exactly what he was doing, but once he found the beat, James managed to smile. This was actually a lot of fun. Every so often, his hands would lock with his partner, he'd twirl them, dip them, and take turns being lead by them. It was liberating in a way he wasn't used to, but would love to continually experience.

James never realized that they had taken over the entire dance floor. People were watching them in awe, thinking it was some kind of planned show. The music had slowed just enough to where a small waltz could be incorporated. He could feel his heart racing faster than a DDR champ on expert mode. This person he was dancing with, they were just beautiful, giving off an aura of hope and freedom James had never experienced before.

 _I wonder what kind of person they are IRL,_ James thought.

Soon Daft Punk faded away, replaced by something a slight remix of some Vocaloid number. The dance floor was flooded by everyone else, and James had to struggle to get himself and his new friend out of the crowd.

"That," said Serenity, "was the BEST dance I've ever done. You're amazing!"

"N-not really," James mumbled, his flush crawling across the back of his neck. "You're the real star of the show."

"You flatter me-" Serenity faltered.

"Something wrong?"

"We've been talking and dancing about 10 minutes now," they said. "But I haven't even asked your name."

"Oh," James gasped. He had completely forgotten that little detail. "My name is James. James Ironwood. I'll be a freshman once the new term starts."

"Qrow Branwen," his friend introduced. "I'll be a freshie too." A cheerful smirk graced their face. "Maybe we'll see each other over the school year. Have lunch or something."

"I'd like that," James said happily. "What's your scroll?"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**_ December 31st, 11:53pm _ **

 

He couldn't believe it. _How in the world had his luck changed overnight?_ Before, Qrow could never get a date. Most people passed him over thinking he was too short, or that his eyes were incredibly unsettling. Or, as the case usually is, they found his sister far more to their tastes. No one ever seemed to want to be around him besides Raven, Summer, and Tai.

And yet here he was, talking with James, someone who thought he was interesting enough to hang out with outside of a convention setting. The two of them traded numbers, promising to call each other within the week to meet up again. And for almost two hours, they took turns dancing with their own cliques, with each other, and waiting by the wall, talking about simple things and learning about each other.

Qrow learned James' favorite color was blue. He enjoyed playing sports as well as tabletop RPG's. His major was robotics, and he was attending Alsius on scholarship just like himself. And he was so damned funny. Sure, they weren't the best jokes, but they were so cheesy and sincere, Qrow couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay," James said. "What did the stamp say to the envelope?"

"I...I don't know," Qrow sighed. "What?"

"Stick with me and I'll take you places."

Qrow burst into a fit of laughter.

"That was a good one!" Qrow wheezed. "Where did you get all of these jokes?"

"Same place people find porn," James deadpanned. This garnered a laugh from both of them, as well as a few other people within earshot of their conversation.

"Damn, you're a funny guy," Qrow said. "I am so glad I met you tonight."

"It's been great meeting you too," James said. "You're pretty grand yourself."

"I'm "pretty grand" huh? That's a first for me."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Qrow groaned softly. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but I'm a bit of a nerd."

"I'm not sure if _you_ noticed," James mimicked, "but I'm kind of a nerd too."

"Yeah," Qrow grumbled. "But you're the sexy type of nerd."

"So are you."

The two of them were burning from embarrassment. Qrow couldn't believe he had just said that. _This guy thought he was sexy?_

"It's the dress, isn't it?" Qrow asked under his breath. He smiled when James started to chuckle, and God, that husky vibrato was enough to send a tingle through Qrow's spine.

"Actually, it's your eyes," James said. "And your smile. It matches your personality. Smart and sweet."

"S-stop," Qrow stammered. "You're making me blush."

"Good," said James. "Means my flirtation is working."

The music came to a halt. Qrow, James, and everyone else turned their attention to the DJ. The timer he had set up behind him was at four minutes and counting down.

"Alright, alright, alright!" the DJ bellowed. "We're almost at the New Year! We got one last song to play as the clock ticks away and I hope you all found that special someone to share that New Year's Kiss with! So stand back, relax, and take Shelter under the soothing melody as we welcome the beginning of a better year!"

"New Year's Kiss?" Qrow asked.

"It's a little tradition that's become popular these days," James explained. "Some say it's something people do as part of making a wish. Others think it's something you do to help set the tone for the new year to come. The idea changes from person to person, place to place, but most people think it's a fun little thing to do."

"I-I see," Qrow stammered.

The two of them didn't look at each other for a bit. The music played as the clock ticked down.

**_" When I'm older, I'll be silent beside you, I know words won't be enough -"_ **

"Did...you want to?" Qrow asked nervously.

"Um...Only if you want to..." James answered. "Are you okay with that?"

"Sure," Qrow said. "Are... you okay with that?"

"I don't mind..."

The two of them locked eyes again. There was about 30 seconds left on the clock. The music was coming to a close.

**_" Oh, it's a long way forward, trust in me, I'll give them shelter like you've done for me -"_ **

James slowly removed his mask and hat, setting them aside on one of the nearby chairs before gently pulling Qrow into a close embrace, partially hiding themselves with his cape.

**_" And I know, I'm not alone, you'll be watching over us, Until... "_ **

Qrow gently gazed up into James' sapphire gaze, slowly rising onto the tips of his toes as the crowd on the dance floor chanted the remainder of the countdown.

_"Five!"_

_"Four!"_

_"Three!_

_"TWO!"_

**_"ONE!!!!"_ **

**_"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"_ **

Qrow's eyes had slid shut, his head tilted slightly to the right as his lips met with James' own. Both of their lips were slightly chapped from the frigid cold December night, despite being in a warm location. It was a rough kiss, but it was heartfelt. Qrow felt his breath hitch the moment James had made contact. He felt as if he'd melt away from existence if he pulled away. There was something there. Something Qrow hadn't truly felt before.

_There was a spark._

The two of them pulled away, staring at each other, both crimson with surprise, eyes half hooded in the leftover tingle. It was intoxicating. Qrow would have loved to try it again, right then and there, but he never exactly had the best luck.

**_"FIGHTING EVIL BY MOONLIGHT-"_ **

"Shit," James breathed, pulling his scroll out of his breast pocket. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Qrow said. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." James answered his scroll with a vividly annoyed _"Really Tuk?!",_ followed by a lecture on not changing someone's ringtone without permission. In less than thirty seconds, he wrapped up the call. It was rather impressive if Qrow had to admit it. And as much as Qrow _didn't_ want to admit it, that growl he heard from James was quite the turn on.

"I'm sorry," James groaned as he hung up. "I have to go. My cousin is wanting to head back to his room and I don't have a ride back."

"N-no, it's alright," Qrow stammered. "It's not like we won't see each other after this, right?"

James gave him a gentle grin. "Right."

The two of them said goodbye, and Qrow watched as James hurried away. The way his cape fluttered as he ran, Qrow honestly thought for just a brief moment that this was nothing more than a dream.

" _Qrow~_ Qrow~! **QROW!"**

And thus, he was snapped back to reality. He turned around to see Tai Spiegel looking at him with that usual cocky smirk.

"What's up Tai?" Qrow asked.

"Your spirits by the look of it," Taiyang answered. "You seem really happy. What's going on?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

"I met a really great guy and we kissed."

"You're right, I don't believe you."

_**"TAI-TAI!"** _

"I'm kidding!" Taiyang howled. "I'm happy for you." He took a quick glance around the room. "So which one is he?"

"The Tuxedo Mask that just left," Qrow said. "His name is James, and he's pretty cool."

"Really? A _Tuxedo Mask?_ Cool?"

"Cooler than you on St. Patrick's Day."

"Hey, I thought we said never to talk about that!"

"Then don't mock the Mask."

"Got it. Come on. Let's go find the girls and head back."

"Sounds good."

The two of them left to find Raven and Summer, and then proceeded to make their way back to the dorms. All the while though, Qrow couldn't take his mind off of James, the Masked Miracle.

 _I really want to him again,_ he thought hopefully.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**_January 1st, 12:13am_ **

 

"So," Tukson sighed as they drove back to the dorms. "That was probably the best con I've ever attended."

"Same here," James mumbled absentmindedly.

"You okay, James?"

"Mh? Oh, yeah. I'm okay. Why?"

"You're spacing out, and you're smiling like a doofus. Something happen?"

"I...I kind of...met someone."

"Met someone?" Tukson asked coyly. "I want the full scoop."

"It was a Serenity cosplayer," James said. "Qrow Branwen. He's pretty cool."

"Sounds like it with that name," Tukson said. "You gonna meet him again?"

"...Yeah...I think I will..."

"Ha!"

"What?!" James turned to look at him, eyes squinted in warning.

 _"Jimmy and his Qrow-Qrow sitting in a tree,"_ Tukson sang. _"K-I-S-S-I-"_

"Oh, that's real mature Tuk!"

Tukson continued laughing the whole way home. James just rolled his eyes and continued staring out the window, his mind wandering as he thought back to that evening.

 _"Best night ever,"_ he whispered to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this will be an ongoing story. I hope you all enjoy it. 
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	3. Rawr!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pizza arrives, and another story is in order.

"And that's how we met," Qrow finished. "We both went back to our rooms and the night faded to morning."

"Wow!" Ruby gasped. "That sounds so amazing!"

"I wanna go to a rave and meet my soulmate," Yang sighed.

"Me too," the twins agreed.

"You might not find them there, kids," Roman said. "Sometimes you meet in more random locations."

"Like through work," Junior chuckled.

"Or in class," Glynda added.

"Or at a school BBQ," Taiyang said.

"And your first love might not be your soulmate," James cautioned. "You'll know your soulmate when they appear."

"How?!" the kids asked in unison.

"For starters," Qrow said, "you'll all be 102 and living in space. And you'll be happy and singing and never discovering you like other humans."

"Qrow!" Raven giggled.

"No liking anyone. Nope, nada, nothing!" He wrapped his arms tightly around Yang, Ruby, and Penny. "My little stardrops are too good for any person."

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang giggled.

"You're so silly, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby sighed.

"Really silly," Penny agreed.

"I know I am," Qrow laughed. 

_Ding-dong!_

"That'll be the pizza," Glynda said.

"I'll get it," Junior grunted as he lifted himself from the chair. "My treat this time."

"I'll cover the tip," Roman added, hanging off of Junior like Tarzan.

"Daddy's a jungle gym!" the twins cried, scurrying after Junior to grab onto his legs, Melanie on the right and Miltia on the left. Neo hung off of Roman's waist, smiling brightly as they moved.

"Rawr!" Junior roared as he sluggishly moved to the front door.

"I wanna do that too!" Penny gasped. "Can I climb uncle Hei too, dad?"

"I'm afraid you'd be one kid too many, Pudding Pop," James answered sadly.

"Oh," Penny mumbled.

"Up we go!" Qrow yelled. He lifted Penny up onto his shoulders, with Yang and Ruby grabbing his arms. "Rawr!"

"RAWR!" the girls growled along.

"Rawr! I'm a Drunkiosauraus!" Qrow screeched as he sauntered around the room with the girls. "I'll kidnap all the kiddies and devour them with whole!"

"Not on my watch!" Summer declared. She hopped over the sofa, avoiding James and sliding to the floor, hooking herself onto Qrow's left leg. "I am the famous Dino-Huntress! Release the kiddies!!!"

"Never!"

James rolled his eyes as he got up to fetch paper plates from the kitchen. Out of all the things he made sure to stock up on before moving in, he was glad disposable dishware had made top of the list. Junior soon followed, now free from his weights, carrying a stack of ten pizzas.

"Good thing you sprung for all this counter space," Junior said. "Makes it easy to spread out the pizza to serve."

"Sure does," James agreed.

"So," Junior huffed. "You said Tukson was your cousin?"

"On my mother's side," James said. "Before coming here, I hadn't heard from him since he graduated Alsius."

"You know, hearing about this Alsius place, I can't help but feel jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Ro graduated from there too," Junior explained. "You all have that one thing in common. Kinda feels like I'm on the outside looking in on something. There's a part of Roman's life I wasn't a part of that I wish I knew more about, you know?"

 _Junior's jealous of that?_ James thought.

"To be honest," James said, "I never actually met Roman before last Christmas, so I don't really know much about his time there. But if you ask, I'm sure he'd love to talk about it."

"See, here's the thing," Junior laughed. "If I asked him, he'd just embellish every little detail. Not that I mind, but I want to hear other perspectives sometimes. Like when you and Qrow were talking about how you met. More like that."

"Two words," James put bluntly. "Summer. Rose."

"You really think she'd talk? She's Roman's bestie after all."

James made a goofy sweep of the room, leaning in cartoonishly to whisper to Junior, "Offer her a large "Chocolate Thunder Shake" from Valkyrie's. It's her Kryptonite."

"Ah," Junior huffed. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"Let's pass out the pizza," James said. "I think this is a story your girls might get a kick out of."

"Two stories in one day? Oh, you spoil us Jimmy!"

James and Junior looked over to the wall where Roman had taken to leaning as the kids came scrambling in for food. Qrow dragged his legs as he tried to enter the kitchen, his body weighed down from not just the kids, but now both Summer and Taiyang having hooked onto his legs as Raven was taking photos on her scroll.

"Another story?" Qrow groaned. "Surely this can wait until after these bozos let go."

"This story is about those bozos," James chuckled.

"Excuse me?" Summer growled playfully.

"Me?" Taiyang asked innocently. "A bozo?"

"Wait," Qrow said. "You're not talking about the first time hanging out, are you?"

"I thought it was a date," James teased.

"No, a date was Valentine's Day," Qrow said. "Hanging out is what we had to call it because of these knuckleheads."

 _"Oooooh_ ," Summer gasped. " _That_ story!"

"STORY TIME!" the children shrieked.

"Alright!" Qrow grumbled. "After you all get your pizza." His red eyes looked down at his leg weights. "And after you two let go."

"Got it," Summer and Tai agreed.

"I think I should tell this one," Raven interrupted. "After all, it was the only time you ever yelled at us."

"I better be telling this one too," Tai sighed.

"Same here," Summer said.

"Why don't you start, Rae?" Roman suggested. "Telling the story? We can eat and listen. And you can eat and talk."

"Only if I get to wear the hat," Raven bargained.

"Only this once." Roman took off his hat, sliding it onto her feathery dark locks.

"Alright,"  Raven began with a smirk. "T'was a cold January week. It was supposed to be Qrow's first date with Jim, but it turned into one of my greatest blunders..."


	4. My Little Followers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> STR decides to follow Qrow on his date, only to learn that spying gets you nowhere.

**_January 12th, 11:00 am_ **

 

_Bright red scarf, coal black winter coat, combat boots._ Raven ticked off all the things Qrow was throwing on as she lounged on the sofa in the boys' room. Summer was sitting in Taiyang's lap, kicking his ass at Mario Kart as usual. Qrow grabbed his scroll and room key and ran toward the door.

"Alright, I'm going now!" Qrow called. "Don't wait up for me!"

"Bye little bro," Raven called back. "Stay warm."

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do~!" Taiyang warned playfully.

"Got it!"

The door closed with a click, and Qrow's footsteps started pitter pattering down the hall.

"Five," Raven said. "Four...three...two...one..."

"He's gone," Summer concluded.

"And I'm guessing we're going too?" Tai queried.

"You bet your ass we're going," Raven decreed as she hopped off the sofa. "Qrow hasn't been on a date in a while. I want to see who he's taken a shine to."

"Plus, this will be fun!" Summer insisted.

"You sure?" Tai asked. "I mean, remember the last time we spied on Qrow going on a date?"

"Nope," the girls replied obliviously.

"Of course," Taiyang groaned. "Well, if we're gonna go, we better hurry before the train gets here."

"I'll grab my coat!" Summer cheered as she climbed off Taiyang.

"Hurry up Tai-Tai," Raven said. "We only got a small window. If we miss it, we won't make it in time to follow."

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**_ 12:37pm _ **

 

Taiyang stood by the fountain in the square, holding his scroll to his ear as he scanned the area. Qrow was waiting by the clock, hopping from one foot to the other and back in excitement. The temperature dropped quite a bit in the last week, and snow had started to fall.

"You see him?" Raven asked on the other end of the call.

"Yeah," Tai confirmed. "He's just standing there. Menacingly."

_"Taiyang!"_

"Sorry, just kidding. He's bouncing like a kid in a candy store."

"We're over by the toy store," Summer piped up. "Send us a picture of the guy when you see him."

"Will do." Taiyang closed the call and continued to watch Qrow, kicking himself mentally for agreeing to this. Normally he'd be the one coming up with schemes like this. They almost never failed. But this was a plan of Raven's, so chances are, it was going to go downhill. He should have tried to talk them out of it.

_Stay optimistic Tai,_ he told himself. _If you stay negative, it might turn negative._

"Hey James!"

"Hey Qrow. Hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"Nope. I've only just gotten here."

Taiyang snapped from his thoughts, looking over at Qrow as he pulled out the camera app. Someone had walked up to him wearing a navy military style coat and a long white scarf. Taiyang was slack jawed. _This guy? There's no way that's the James Qrow was gushing about._ The man was almost seven feet tall! He quickly took a photo and sent it off to Summer and Raven, before proceeding to follow the pair as inconspicuously as possible.

"So where do you want to go for lunch?" James asked.

"I don't know about you," Qrow said, "but I'm dying for a milkshake right about now."

"Milkshakes?"

"Wait...You've had a milkshake before, right?"

"Um...no, actually. Not that I can remember."

_This guy has never had a milkshake?_ Taiyang groaned internally.

"You've never had a-" Qrow gasped. "Okay, that's it."

"What's it?" James asked.

"We're going to Valkyrie's," Qrow declared. "You have to try their Chocolate Thunder Shake."

_What?! That traitor!_ Taiyang couldn't believe it. That was _their_ thing. The mad team STRQ always got milkshakes there, _just the four of them_. Summer and Raven weren't going to be happy about this.

**_PING!_ **

_Speak of the devil,_ thought Tai. Taiyang pulled out his scroll to check the message.

_"Woah! He's a real stud! Where are they going?"_

_Of course that's her reaction,_ Taiyang sighed. With a soft smile he replied to the message with a simple " _Chocolate Thunder Shake"._

Raven had replied seconds later.

**_PING!_ **

_"THAT TRAITOR!"_

This isn't going to end well, Tai thought. Making sure not to be seen, he made his way through the crowded streets, taking an alternate route for good measure.

All the while, Taiyang remained unaware of the man in a trench coat following him.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**_ 1:25pm _ **

 

Summer sat with Raven and Taiyang, hiding in the far corner of the little diner. Qrow and James had taken to sitting at over at the counter, completely unaware that they were there watching them. She kept her silver gaze leveled on James, observing this stranger very closely.

_He towers over our little Birdo,_ she noted. _Those blue eyes are pretty nice. Not as good as Tai's though. He's got quite the jaw line. His voice is kind of charming...He can probably sing really well..._

"Come on, James!" Qrow urged. "Give this a try!"

"Fries and ice cream?" James asked. "That doesn't sound good."

"Try it!" Qrow insisted. "Please?"

"Okay, okay," James chuckled. He took one of the fries and dipped it into the vanilla ice cream, examining it for a moment, and then tossing it into his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise. Letting out a soft hum, he looked at Qrow. "It's good."

"Told you!"

_Oh God,_ Summer thought. _This guy might be perfect, and it's only the first date._

"So what do you think?" Taiyang asked softly. "Seems like a decent feller."

"I don't trust him," Raven mumbled. "He seems too perfect."

"Let's see where this goes," Summer suggested. "For all we know, this is just a onetime thing."

"If that guy does anything to my little bro-"

"We know," Taiyang murmured. "We don't want him getting hurt either, Rae. But..."

"But?" Summer echoed.

"Maybe we should let the bird leave the nest."

"Did you just try," Raven enunciated, "to use _a pun_ to say we should go home and leave him?"

"I...uh..."

"Hold it guys," Summer whispered. "Look at them."

"Okay," Qrow said. "You ready for the Chocolate Thunder Shake?"

"Why is it called that?" James asked.

"It's basically a chocolate cake shake," Qrow answered nonchalantly. "But it's called "Thunder" because it's Linea's special cake recipe she inherited from her uncle Thor."

"So it's called Thunder in reference to the God of Thunder?"

"That's right!"

"Sounds interesting."

"Yeah! Ready to give it a shot?"

"Sure. Should I call the waitress over-?"

"No!" Qrow snickered. "You go up to the window over there. Ask Linea to make it."

_"Shit!"_ Summer hissed. She lifted her hood up to hide her face. Their little booth was over by the specialty window. "Guys, hide!"

Raven pulled her scarf up over her face, lowering her sunglasses to hide her eyes. Taiyang lowered the rim of his Pumpkin Pete's baseball cap, being very careful to not look suspicious. Summer watched as James walked over to the window marked "Special Orders". In hindsight, Summer realized, this might not have been the best seat to hide in.

"Um...H-hello," James stammered. "Are you Linea?"

"Well, hello there!" the woman on the other side walked up to him, her bright turquoise eyes sparkling from beneath her half-moon glasses. "What can I do for you, handsome~?"

"Oh, m-my friend over there said I should try your, uh, Chocolate Thunder Shake?"

"Alright! What size?"

"Well, how good is it?" James asked.

**"You want a large!"**

Summer threw her hand to her mouth. She had blurted it out in unison with Linea. After all that work staying hidden, she might have blown their cover. Her face grew as red as the ketchup on the table as James glanced over at her for a second.

"Okay," James answered slowly. "I'll have a large then."

Summer glanced across the table at her lovers, only to get the stink eye. A tad harsh in her opinion, but it was understandable. This was supposed to be an undercover mission. They couldn't afford to be seen. So she closed her eyes and listened as James waited for his shake. By the sound of it, Linea was about to start the magic.

"That's a pretty big slice," James stammered.

_She must have pulled the cake from the fridge,_ Summer groaned. She really wanted one herself right about now.

"It's gonna happen," Linea giggled, softly humming the words "I'm Queen of the Castle" under her breath. She tossed the cake into the blender, added the milk and ice cream, and set the blender to puree.

_Oh man._ Summer had to try very hard to suppress her craving. She wanted one so bad it was unbearable.

James made his way back to Qrow after receiving the milkshake, and the three of them glanced over at him to watch. Taiyang had mentioned James never had a milkshake before. If they were going to spy, they might as well enjoy the show.

"Qrow, this is huge," James muttered. "I don't think I'll be able to finish this."

"It's alright," Qrow chuckled. "Whatever you don't finish, I'll have. Now drink!"

"Why are you taking out your scroll?"

"You need to see your face when you have your first ever milkshake. So I'm taking a picture."

"Is that really necessary?"

"Yes," Summer muttered under her breath. "We got our pictures, you get yours too."

"Summer," Raven warned. "You need to stay quiet. We're meant to watch, not interact."

"Sorry Rae," Summer sighed.

"Woah!"

Everyone turned their gaze to James. He was sitting there, open mouthed, his pupils dilated ever so slightly. There was a little bit of the shake dribbling off the edge of his lips. Summer knew that face. Qrow had made it the first time she had brought them here.

_Oh my God_ , Summer thought. _He really might be the perfect guy for Qrow._

"You like it?" Qrow asked.

"I love it!" James gushed. "I never had anything like it before!"

"I'm glad you love it," Qrow chuckled. "Hold still, you got some on your face."

The world seemed to stop. Summer's eyes were wide in disbelief as she watched Qrow clean up the shake from James' face with his napkin. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something there she couldn't quite place. Something rather precious.

"Hey Tai," Summer muttered.

"Yeah?"

"You're right. We should let Birdo fly the coop. Let him be on his own."

"I think you might be speaking too soon," Raven hissed.

Summer looked over at her red eyed lover, only to see Raven pointing at the door. Qrow and James were heading out, having finished their lunch and continuing their little date. About thirty seconds afterwards, a man in a black trench coat followed suit.

"How long has he been following them?" Summer queried.

"I don't know," Raven growled. "But we better hurry. I don't like the look of him."

"Right."

Summer took out enough Lien to cover the tab plus tip, then the three of them took off to follow the stalker. Summer stayed on the main path, while Raven took a left detour, and Taiyang flanked the right. She kept a safe distance, but was still close enough to keep an eye on the love birds.

Looks like they're going to the old downtown market next, Summer noted. She shot Tai and Rae a quick message to let them know the direction to take. The man in the trench coat followed them closely, his pace brisk and with a purpose. And she didn't like it one little bit.

_I'm not going to let him hurt my baby bird,_ she fumed.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**_ 2:25pm _ **

 

"You know," Qrow confessed, "I've been to a lot of places in Atlas City, but I think this is the first time I've ever been to this arcade."

"You've never been to Lie's Arcade?" James gasped. "How can you live here and not know this place?"

"I usually stick to the main marketplaces," Qrow sputtered. "And normally, places like this are where Tai and I hang. He knows this city better than I do."

"Well, we're going to play every game," James instructed. "And I'm going to kick your butt at all of them."

"In your dreams, pal!" Qrow roared. "The only person who can beat me at games is my sister!"

"Care to put your money where your mouth is?" James challenged.

"You bet! Winner takes the loser out to dinner on Valentine's day!"

"You're on!"

Raven continued to watch from her hiding place, a proud smirk plastered across her cheeks from the compliment. Of course Qrow was an excellent gamer, but still, he couldn't beat her at anything besides DDR. This was probably going to entertaining.

_Too bad I won't be able to watch them,_ she thought. The man in the coat was still lurking nearby, and he seemed to be keeping a really close eye on Qrow.

**_PING!_ **

Raven checked her phone, reading a message from Tai.

_"What's the sitch?"_

_"Q &J are gaming"_ she replied. _"Coat is lurking still."_ Raven looked away from her scroll and moved her focus back to the target. He seemed to be waiting for an opening of sorts. _What was this guy planning?_ Raven kept her silent vigil while Qrow and James enjoyed themselves. In a way, she was glad there weren't many people there. It made it harder to blend in, but it also made it easier to keep an eye on them.

"Hey, I'll be right back," James said after six games.

"Hitting the can?" asked Qrow.

"Yeah. You go pick the next game. BRB."

James ran off towards the restrooms and Qrow looked around at the games. To Raven's surprise, he gravitated toward the whack-a-mole. He never liked that game. Qrow was counting the change when the man in the coat approached.

"Hey," the man said. "You Qrow?"

_How does this guy know my brother?!_ Raven thought. She slowly approached him from behind, soon joined by Summer and Taiyang, who had been hiding elsewhere. The hiding was over. They had to act.

"Who wants to know?" Qrow asked nervously.

The man tilted his head in confusion. "You're pretty short. I thought you'd be taller."

"Who're you calling short!?" Qrow snapped.

_That's it,_ Raven thought. _No one calls my little brother short but me!_

"Relax, kid," the man stammered.

"Hey bub," Raven growled. "Leave him alone."

The man in the coat turned to look at her, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh, it's you three," he said.

"Wait." Qrow leaned around the guy to look. "Rae? Tai? Sum, what are you guys doing here?"

"We got worried," Raven bluffed. "This guy has been stalking you for the past hour or so."

"Me? A stalker?" The man glared at her, his lip curled up in anger. "You three have been following my cousin all afternoon!"

"Wait, you've been watching us?!" Qrow looked between them, a hurt expression clearly showing. "Rae, how could you?! And Summer, you're better than that!"

"So you know them?" the man asked.

"Yeah, that's my sister and her girlfriend."

"Hey, what am I?" Taiyang asked indignantly.

"A flaming corgi," Qrow deadpanned, before turning back to the other uninvited guest. "And who are you?"

"His name is Tukson, and he's dead meat."

Raven looked behind her, only to find a man of ice. That cold stare coming off of Qrow's date was rather terrifying. But she wouldn't show it affected her.

"Hey Jim," Tukson greeted innocently. "How're you doing?"

"Have you been following us?" James hissed. "Tuk, you promised to butt out!"

"Look, Jim, I was-"

"It's James!"

"I just wanted to meet the guy you've been talking to the past week, that's all. I didn't expect him to be this tiny."

"Who're you calling tiny?!" Qrow bellowed.

"That's it," Raven growled. "I'm gonna punch his lights out."

"Raven wait-" Taiyang warned.

"I got your back Rae!" Summer cheered.

James and Qrow glared at them, shouting "Will you stay out of this?!"

**_"ENOUGH!!!"_ **

Everyone froze, slowly turning to the prize counter, where the owner was standing there, smiling. It seemed harmless, but Raven felt something rather unsettling about it. Maybe it was the pink irises. Or was it the cool composure? Whatever it was, it made Raven uneasy. For the first time in years, she wanted to run and hide.

"I understand," the owner said slowly, "that there is something you five need to discuss. However, I'm very sorry, but I must request you take this elsewhere. You're bothering all the other patrons, and I cannot allow such uncouth behavior in this arcade. Tomorrow, once you've all had a chance to talk this out, you may come back. But if this behavior continues or gets worse, I will have no choice but to ban you all from this establishment and have you removed from the premises. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear, Mr. Lie," James sputtered. "We're very sorry. We'll go now."

James grabbed his coat, Qrow picked up his scarf, and the group began their march of shame out of the arcade. None of them said anything for a good five minutes. They just walked. Raven looked over at Qrow, hoping to make eye contact. When their eyes did meet, it felt as if she'd been roundhouse kicked in the head.

_We fucked up,_ she realized. Her brother's face was a dark shade of pink, eyes watering as his lips thinned as they were pressed together. His gaze was narrowed on them.

Qrow was pissed.

And when he was pissed, that spelled trouble.

"Qrow, I'm sorry-" Raven began.

"Cut the crap!" he spat.

Raven winced. If words could wound, then Qrow's tongue was razor sharp and ready for battle. "Qrow, we-"

"You three are the worst!" Qrow roared. "Just because I've had my heart broken a few times doesn't mean I need you guys watching over me like a freaking wake! This happened the last time too! I get that you care, but spying on me? That's why Lisa broke it off! Or did you forget that little detail?!"

Raven and Summer looked at him perplexed. _Had that really been how it happened?_

_"You sure?" Tai had asked. "I mean, remember the last time we spied on Qrow going on a date?"_

_That's what Tai was trying to say,_ Raven realized.

"We're sorry Qrow," she muttered, turning her gaze to her feet. "We just...we didn't want you to get hurt like the last time...We didn't realize-no.. _.I_ didn't realize that following you like this was causing so much harm..."

"We're sorry," Summer whimpered.

"Very sorry," Tai whispered.

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it this time," Qrow croaked. "We almost got banned from an arcade. One James likes to frequent. If we actually got escorted off, that goes on record! We could get our scholarships revoked if they found out about it, and the school year hasn't even started yet!" He ran his fingers through his hair, resisting the urge to remove every strand. "I get your reasons, but this fuck up was too much. And no amount of apologies is going to make up for it. I can't trust you guys."

"We know," Raven mumbled. This was the worst. But they deserved it. _She_ deserved it. In her urgency to look after her twin, she had caused him trouble. And that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Tukson had tried to sneak away while Qrow was reprimanding them, only to be caught by the ear by James.

"I was heading back to the dorms," Tukson mumbled.

"No, you're not," James growled. "This was just as much your fault as it was theirs. I asked you, begged you, not to do anything to cause trouble and what do you do? You sneak around, follow me, approach my date without permission, and nearly got us all banned my favorite arcade! And after you swore you wouldn't cause a scene!"

"Jim, please, that hurts!"

James let go, his eyes narrowed at the four troublemakers as they all stood together in a line. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I have an idea," Qrow asserted. "How do you feel about heading back to Valkyrie's?"

_Oh no,_ Raven thought. _What's going to happen now?_

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**_6:45pm_ **

 

Qrow sat with James at the counter, both of them enjoying another large milkshake while they watched Summer purchase some for the customers at table three. Their four little followers had agreed to this punishment; purchasing everyone who entered the diner an order of the Chocolate Thunder Shake until closing. And it was hilariously agonizing to watch. Summer was dying to have one but knew she couldn't, Raven attempting to be friendly was a treat, and Tukson was trying so hard not to be awkward. The only one who seemed at home in this setting was Taiyang, who appeared to be catching the eye of quite a few single patrons.

It was going to be a while until Qrow could trust them to not pull a stunt like that again. Even after this, he still planned on sitting them down and talking to them, one by one, so as to not have a repeat performance.

"How long until the cake runs out?" James asked.

"Probably another hour," Qrow answered quietly. "The diner doesn't close until midnight, but with how many people ordering the special, it won't be long until Linea closes the window."

"Qrow?"

"Yeah James?"

"You're awfully quiet, and you've been staring at that shake for about ten minutes now. Is everything okay?"

_No_ , Qrow thought. He didn't want to look at him. He was terrified to. James probably thought he was a weirdo. What if he wanted to cut things off here? After what happened at the arcade, he wouldn't be surprised. He was gently pulled from his thoughts by a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"If," Qrow mumbled, "if you don't want to keep hanging out with me after this...I understand-"

"What makes you think I wouldn't want to hang out with you?"

"Well-"

"Qrow," James sighed. "I like talking with you. You're fun to be around. To be frank, I wish I was as care-free and energetic as you. Do you think I'd be here right now if I didn't want to spend time with you?"

"But my friends-" Qrow stammered.

"Don't scare me. To be honest, I was more worried Tukson was going to scare _you_ away than anything."

"He doesn't scare me," Qrow chuckled. "Drunk Summer is more terrifying than your cousin could ever be."

"Now that's scary to think about," James hummed. "So...last I checked, before our little interruption, I think the score was 4-2, with your win."

"Huh?" Qrow had completely forgotten the bet. Winner took loser on a date. Qrow had beaten James at four of the six games they were able to finish.

He won a date.

He _actually_ won a date.

"For Valentine's Day," James said, "would you prefer movies or dinner? Or perhaps both?"

"B-both sounds good," Qrow said. In that moment, Qrow let the stress finally slide off his shoulders. He'd talk to his family later tonight about what happened. Tomorrow he'd formally apologize to the owner of the arcade. He'd made a mental note of everything he had to do, and then set it aside. That would all happen, starting after they get back to the dorms. For now, Qrow decided to just enjoy James' company.

_How did I get so lucky to find such a great guy?_ he wondered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Had a bit of technical difficulties on my end. 
> 
> Let me know what you think.


End file.
